Eadrainn ‘Between Us’ Recipients 2024
Dance Ireland and Dance Base Scotland are delighted to continue our partnership of artistic and cultural exchange together to offer two, fully resourced reciprocal residencies for one Ireland-based and one Scotland-based artist, thanks to funding from the Scottish Government in Ireland, and the Consulate general of Ireland in Scotland.
Eadrainn / Between Us is a programme of creative exchange that builds on the existing relationship between Dance Ireland and Dance Base Scotland to provide an opportunity to connect artists across both organisations and countries, to share practice, and to develop an ecology of exchange and collegial support.
The residencies will take place in November 2024 and will provide each choreographer/ maker with a week of residency space at Dance Base Scotland and a week of residency space at Dance Ireland. During the residency the host organisation will support each artist with space and resources to develop their creative work, connect with the organisation and deepen their understanding of the other country’s dance sector. While the artists will work independently from each other, the residency weeks will be accompanied by moments of reflection where they can share their experience and learning with both organisations and each other.
We are delighted to announce this year’s recipients are:
Jack Anderson and Tara Brandel
Each artist will receive residency space at either Dance Ireland or Dance Base in March 2023 and will be supported through space and resources to develop their creative work, connect with the organization, and deepen their understanding of the other country’s dance sector.
The project will then culminate in a dance symposium in Ireland in April 2023 focusing on the continued exploration of artistic and cultural exchange.
About the Artists
Jack Anderson
Jack is a dancer living and working in Glasgow. He grew up Irish dancing, and toured with Rhythm of the Dance and Celtic Legends. Working with Breandán de Gallaí in Ériu Dance Company, and a chance encounter with a ballet class at the Alvin Ailey studios, sent him towards classical and contemporary training, and he has since been working in contemporary dance contexts - including as a performer for Éowyn Emerald & Dancers, Shotput, Michael Clark, Farah Saleh, Jonzi D, Aya Kobayashi & Monika Smekot, Gwynne Bilski, Rob Heaslip, Indepen-dance, Company Chordelia and Barrowland Ballet.
In 2024 he began redefining the relationship between his Irish and contemporary dance practices, and is exploring this in the development of a new show in collaboration with Charlotte Mclean. He has taught company class as a guest teacher for New Adventures and Stopgap Dance Company, and professional ballet and contemporary classes at Scottish Ballet, Dance Base, The Work Room, Dance Ireland and Citymoves. He facilitates inclusive dance workshops, mentoring and practitioner training with Paragon, and for Indepen-dance. Jack trained at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. www.theworkroom.org.uk/members/jack-anderson.
Quote from Jack regarding his residency: "This timely opportunity will support me to gather up parts of my physicality and identity that have been neglected, reconcile them with where I am now, and reckon with what my priorities are as an artist. As someone who works a lot as a collaborator on other people’s projects, this will be an invaluable pause to expand, refresh and clarify my own creative voice."
Tara Brandel
Tara Brandel is an award-winning choreographer, contemporary dancer, aerial dancer and contact improviser originally from West Cork. She has been choreographing extensively since 1990, with 27 works to date including 13 integrated dance works. Her integrated work has been commissioned by the Unlimited Festival/Cultural Olympiad London Southbank 2012; D-CAF Cairo; David Teevan/Junction Festival; and Propeller Integrated Dance Company in Ottawa, Canada. Tara holds a Masters in Interdisciplinary Performance from UC Davis, where she was awarded the Della Davidson Award 2019, the Mondavi Fellowship, and the Women's Research Center Fellowship for her show Circus, which toured to San Francisco International Arts Festival, Seattle International Dance Festival, Cork Midsummer Festival, Dublin Fringe Festival and FRESH San Francisco 2020.
Her dance film CAR was Director's Choice at the CDIFF in Toronto 2017. Tara is also Artistic Director of Croí Glan Integrated Dance and for Croí Glan has most recently created TILT an integrated aerial dance show which has toured to Cork Midsummer, Tipperary Dance Festival and Dancer from the Dance Festival; In Place a site specific performance made at IMMA; and Unseen a multidisciplinary performance about plankton and enduring love. Tara is currently developing an Environmental Dance training programme in conjunction with the Environmental Research Institute at UCC.
Quote from Tara regarding her residency: "Early research for a new multidisciplinary solo show ‘Missing’ which looks at the pivotal queer women whose voices and stories have been erased from history, using multiple layers of drag and elements of burlesque, as well as contemporary dance material. Developing a new network of cultural connections in Scotland."